San Diego TelevisionFour San Diegans are back from "Survivor" and "Amazing Race"

By Robert P. LaurencePosted on Thu, Feb 5th, 2009

Sierra Reed, Sydney Wheeler, Amanda Blackledge and Kris Klicka are all back at their day jobs now, but their thoughts are elsewhere

...Amanda and Kris daydream about – well, they can’t really say. Not yet, anyway. They can’t even say where they’ve been until “The Amazing Race,” also from CBS, debuts Sunday, Feb. 15. (Both are on KFMB/Channel 8. “Survivor” at 8 p.m. Thursdays, “Race” at 8 p.m. Sundays)

They’re all San Diegans, all contestants on the reality adventure shows, all sworn to secrecy about what happened during the filming, all absolutely forbidden from saying who won each competition

...

Amanda, 23, and Kris, 25, ran into Erica Shay at the Ivy Hotel in San Diego’s Gaslamp district. They were first recruited for the show’s 13th season, got dropped, and were called back for No. 14.

She’s a student at Cal State San Marcos, while he graduated last June from San Diego State and is working at Zenbu Sushi, a La Jolla restaurant. The competition was shot in the first three weeks of November, during which they traveled 40,000 miles. And they have a new understanding of the seemingly lame-brained decisions made by contestants on earlier “Amazing Race” editions.

“At certain times,” she remembered, “you haven’t slept, you haven’t eaten. It’s really draining, but really awesome. It moves so fast, you look back and think, ‘Oh my, we did all that in three days.’”

“When you watch the show,” Kris agreed, “you’re thinking how could they be so stupid. But when you haven’t had sleep or anything to eat, it’s a whole different thing.”

For him “Amazing Race” was a chance to leave a sales job he “hated” and “do the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life. It made our relationship so much stronger, brought us a little bit closer together. We would never have gone to some of the places we went to. If I could choose one word, it would be amazing, awesome, incredible.”

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

“In San Diego, your life is about wanting great experiences and setting yourself up to have them, and that is very attractive to casting people like us, because you are living life on your own terms.”

That was certainly the case for “Amazing Race” contestant Kris Klicka, who was so turned off by the idea of appearing on a reality show that when CBS casting associate Erika Shay approached him at the Ivy Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter, he brushed her off and walked away.

“I thought she was asking me if I wanted to be on 'The Real World,' and I knew for a fact that I wouldn't want to be on something that shows the ins and outs of pretty much every part of your life,” said the recent San Diego State University graduate, who will compete on the globe-trotting show with his girlfriend, Amanda Blackledge. “That's what's cool about 'The Amazing Race.' It does show the real you, but it's not like people are watching you sleep at night.”

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"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

SAN MARCOS ---- When the latest version of "The Amazing Race" reality television show debuts Sunday night, Cal State San Marcos student Amanda Blackledge and her boyfriend Kris Klicka will be watching closely, with dozens of relatives and friends by their sides.

Blackledge, 23, and Klicka, 25, comprised one of 11 teams that raced around the globe competing for a $1 million prize on the CBS show's 14th season.

Press releases about the race, filmed last fall, describe the competition as one of the show's most grueling ever with participants covering 40,000 miles and nine countries in 22 days.

Challenges they faced along the way included extreme temperatures in Siberia and India, little down time and the world's second-tallest bungee jump, according to the releases.

Talking about the race Friday, Blackledge and Klicka said they were sworn to secrecy about where they had been during it, what they did along the way, or how they fared. Even relatives and friends don't know yet, the couple said.

But the two ---- who described themselves as nearly inseparable since they met on a San Diego beach about four years ago ---- said they had a "super awesome" time participating in the show and hope everyone in the region tunes in to cheer them on.

"Really, the thrill of it ---- it's just outrageous," said Blackledge, who took a semester off from her communications studies to do the show.

She and Klicka said they were "Amazing Race" fans even before a CBS recruiter approached them during a friend's birthday party at a San Diego hotel last year and asked if they'd like to try out for the show.

"It was loud in there, and I had (had) a few drinks," said Klicka, who earned a communications degree from San Diego State University last year. "I thought she said (another reality TV show called) 'The Real World.' I told her to throw rocks or something. Then Amanda came by and she said, 'yeah, let's go for it.' "

The two said they felt like they already knew each other's personalities and characters well by then. Neither had traveled outside of the U.S. much, though, and they had never taken a trip together.

"That was one of the things we looked forward to (in the race) 'cause we hadn't experienced anything like that in our relationship," Klicka said.

The two actually did extensive interviews for last season's "Amazing Race," only to be told they weren't right for that version's cast. But in September, a CBS rep called to ask if they were game for the Season 14 race.

Given just three weeks' notice, Blackledge and Klicka said they spent much of that time studying maps and packing ---- then repacking ---- for the trip of a lifetime, without knowing what they might need.

"You have to pack for potentially everything in the world," Blackledge said. "That's like part of the challenge ---- trying to figure it out with your partner what you should bring."

Fellow contestants included a pair of Harvard-educated lawyers, a team of stuntmen brothers, two flight attendants, and the race's first-ever deaf contestant and his mother.

Klicka, a former baseball player, and Blackledge, a former competitive cheerleader, said they felt their own athleticism, youth and energy were major assets during the race.

They quickly encountered a major roadblock, however.

"We figured out we're both leaders and both kind of like to take control of things," said Klicka. "That's one thing we had to kind of work on during the race: learning how to step back and let each other take charge."

The couple said aspects of the race that viewers never see, including lengthy periods with little water and no food, frustrating airport layovers and lost sleep caused by wondering what waited at the end of a flight, were among the most challenging.

"It was just really emotionally and physically draining," said Klicka. "It's overwhelming when you're in that position. ... you have to just kind of (focus and keep going.)"

Overall, however, they balanced each other out well, the couple said.

"If he starts to freak out about something, I can go up to him and put my hands on his shoulders and calm him down," Blackledge said. "And if I start to freak out about something, he calms me down."

Participating in the race together strengthened the bond between them, said Blackledge and Klicka, who will watch Sunday's episode with family and friends at the La Jolla sushi restaurant where Klicka works.

"We were both there for each other," said Blackledge. "And that really helped 'cause there were moments when we both really needed the other person."

So what do you all think of Amanda and Kris now that we have had a chance to see them in action a little bit?

I'm loving these cutie pies! They are so cute together and even their little ask for directions squabble was not annoying.

I like how they keep on working together and they are moving right on up!

I have my fingers crossed that CBS is just making a big to do over nothing about the fanny pack, do y'all?

for Amanda and Kris!!

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"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

I like them okay, but Amanda's doing everything possible to get the useless team member/vapid blonde girl edit right now, shown by her not contributing much to the cheese task last week and then pawning off the Roadblock on Kris for the second week in a row. And not only making two grammatical mistakes, but having them aired -- and highlighted via editing -- really isn't doing her any favors.

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JamisonEleven teams race around the world for $1,000,000 on The Amazing Race 14! Sundays at 8/7 Central on CBS!

really? I thought they worked really well together, and din't even notice their grammar, lol.

I understood not wanting to do the RB if you have a problem with heights, Kisha did the same. That might be a smart move if you are afraid of freezing and slowing down the team.

In the end it was a good thing after all that Kris had to do the running, he really got them a nice jump.

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"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

I like them okay, but Amanda's doing everything possible to get the useless team member/vapid blonde girl edit right now, shown by her not contributing much to the cheese task last week and then pawning off the Roadblock on Kris for the second week in a row. And not only making two grammatical mistakes, but having them aired -- and highlighted via editing -- really isn't doing her any favors.

I really would like to disagree with you. If you were to go onto the race with your male partner, who do you think should do the more physical task? I mean it would be obvious for Kris to run down the mountain, or paragliding right? And besides, how do you know Kris didn't threaten to kill Amanda if she didn't let him do the paragliding. (I know he won't, was just kidding!) What i'm trying to say here is if we haven't seen enough of the entire show.. because they have been racing for WEEKS and we only see less than an hour each week, so i don't think it was a very nice comment to just say she was a "useless team member" because i think so far she have been great to watch, together with Kris! Love how Amanda licked off the cake last week and this couple here just brings warmth to my heart. They just want to enjoy the race and have some fun! They've replaced Kisha and Jen in my top 4 now and i think they will continue to be an amazing watch!

PS: Please be safe from next week's fanny pack incident. It would suck for another of my favourite team to go out Toni and Dallas way!!

I really would like to disagree with you. If you were to go onto the race with your male partner, who do you think should do the more physical task? I mean it would be obvious for Kris to run down the mountain, or paragliding right? And besides, how do you know Kris didn't threaten to kill Amanda if she didn't let him do the paragliding. (I know he won't, was just kidding!) What i'm trying to say here is if we haven't seen enough of the entire show.. because they have been racing for WEEKS and we only see less than an hour each week, so i don't think it was a very nice comment to just say she was a "useless team member" because i think so far she have been great to watch, together with Kris! Love how Amanda licked off the cake last week and this couple here just brings warmth to my heart. They just want to enjoy the race and have some fun! They've replaced Kisha and Jen in my top 4 now and i think they will continue to be an amazing watch!

Then by all means, Joab, disagree. But I haven't seen her contribute that much at all. And the lack of doing anything hugely physical, coupled with declaring something she did on the very first leg as the hardest thing she's ever done? She's certainly going to come out looking useless to me. Well, that and openly declaring the woodcutting task as the first task she ever did on the race. I mean, really?

I really would like to disagree with you. If you were to go onto the race with your male partner, who do you think should do the more physical task? I mean it would be obvious for Kris to run down the mountain, or paragliding right? And besides, how do you know Kris didn't threaten to kill Amanda if she didn't let him do the paragliding. (I know he won't, was just kidding!) What i'm trying to say here is if we haven't seen enough of the entire show.. because they have been racing for WEEKS and we only see less than an hour each week, so i don't think it was a very nice comment to just say she was a "useless team member" because i think so far she have been great to watch, together with Kris! Love how Amanda licked off the cake last week and this couple here just brings warmth to my heart. They just want to enjoy the race and have some fun! They've replaced Kisha and Jen in my top 4 now and i think they will continue to be an amazing watch!

Then by all means, Joab, disagree. But I haven't seen her contribute that much at all. And the lack of doing anything hugely physical, coupled with declaring something she did on the very first leg as the hardest thing she's ever done? She's certainly going to come out looking useless to me. Well, that and openly declaring the woodcutting task as the first task she ever did on the race. I mean, really?

Yes, i'm going to by all means disagree with you. Hope you don't have a problem with that.

And i would love to see you go on without sleep for days, without proper food, having to race and possibly climb up and down a cheese hill, run around a country you've never been to and say that's probably the easiest thing you've done.

Yea, maybe you should signup for TAR15.. i bet i'll root for you since you'll definitely win.. seeing how you believe the race is an easy thing to do.

I don't think it's easy at all. On the surface, yes, but when you do it, of course it's hard. And I didn't care for that condescension at all, Joab.

But on topic, Amanda & Kris certainly thought it'd be easy, but their Insider videos for week one pretty much revealed how hard they ended founding out it was. And if their week two Insiders are of any indication, they still haven't adjusted like pretty much all of the other teams left have.

I like them. I do. They seem fun. And they've finished solidly the first two legs. But I can see them getting worn down sooner rather than later.

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JamisonEleven teams race around the world for $1,000,000 on The Amazing Race 14! Sundays at 8/7 Central on CBS!

And just like that, I'm back to thinking Amanda was at least borderline . Or at least got a useless edit from the editors. Other than helping Kris carry the shutters, did she do anything on their final leg? Tammy & Victor, Margie & Luke, and Jaime & Cara were all right -- Kris really was the only threat on that team.

« Last Edit: March 11, 2009, 12:17:21 AM by puddin »

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JamisonEleven teams race around the world for $1,000,000 on The Amazing Race 14! Sundays at 8/7 Central on CBS!

The U-Turn is always a point of controversy on The Amazing Race. Kris and Amanda were eliminated last night because they were U-Turned by Margie and Luke, and there has been much debate about what Margie and Luke did. Was it ethical? Kris and Amanda weren't a threat to Margie and Luke on last night's leg, but then again, Amanda and Kris were shaping up as a team to be reckoned with - I thought they were the most likely to win it all. The U-Turn, despite its brutal ramifications, is a part of The Amazing Race, and should therefore be utilized, right? It may have been cowardly, but I figure if you're playing for a million dollars, you take every advantage available to you. You only race once.

Amanda and Kris, on a show that consistently features dysfunctional and often appalling young couples, were a breath of fresh air. The couple got along incredibly well in stressful circumstances, remaining likable even as the reality of their impending elimination became clear. We had the chance to speak with Amanda and Kris earlier today about their time on The Amazing Race.

You can find the written transcript as well as the full mp3 audio of the interview below.

Hey this is Oscar Dahl from BuddyTV and I'm here with Amanda and Kris from The Amazing Race. Amanda, Kris how are you two doing?

Kris: Good, how's it going?

Amanda: Doing great.

Last night, watching it from home or from wherever you two watched it - that couldn't have been too much fun. What was going through your heads during the episode?

K: Well, we were definitely prepared for it. We had known for quite some time now, but there was definitely some anxiety going into it, like "What are they going to show?" So, I think we were just a little bit nervous, but besides that, nothing too bad.

Did you guys know that it was Margie and Luke before you watched the episode last night?

A: Actually, we didn't know until we went to sequester where we found out.

K: Yeah, we knew up until now, but we didn't find out until after we got eliminated.

A: Yeah, like a long week later.

When you found out what was your reaction?

K: We were just really shocked. We kind of felt like it was a low blow. We had gone to lunch in Romania the day before and the teams were split off into two different tables, and at the table that Margie and Luke were sitting at was with Kisha and Jennifer and a few of the other teams, and after lunch Margie approached Amanda and I and was like "Yeah, just to let you know, we were talking about if the U-Turn comes up who would use it and who wouldn't," and Margie said to us, "Yeah, we totally said that we never would do that and Kisha and Jennifer said that they definitely would."

A: They were the only ones at the table that said they would and all the other teams were saying they would never use it.

K: So, the next day they U-Turned us and right away we thought it was definitely Kisha and Jennifer. We thought there was no way it was going to be them (Margie and Luke). We were just shocked and felt like it was a low blow.

To me, the U-Turn should only really be used if you are close to being eliminated and on someone who is close to you...

A: Exactly. That's exactly what we thought (laughs). We always said that the only time we would ever use it is if it was the last U-Turn and we knew we wouldn't have someone turn around and U-Turn us back and then, only if we needed it. If we were neck and neck with another team in the back of the pack, then if it was necessary we would use it. But, they were on the first flight...

K: No, they were on the second flight.

A: Oh, well, they were still in the very front of the pack, and it just was very clearly unnecessary to use it. In my opinion, I thought it was stupid that they would waste it because they can't use it again. I just didn't think it was very strategic.

Was there anything edited out last night or over the course of the season that you wish CBS had thrown in there?

K: Well, the first episode, we kind of felt that we didn't get shown a whole lot. Like, the cheese hill, when we got to that point, there was already a bunch of teams already there and we breezed through all those people. It didn't show how strong we really were in that first episode. I wish they would have shown more of that.

A: We were like the third to last team to arrive at that hill and we passed tons of...the red heads, Brad and Victoria were heading up the mountain when we were first arrived and we passed so many teams on that hill and it didn't really show that.

What was your guys' favorite place you visited over the course of the race?

A: We definitely loved Switzerland. It was gorgeous. I mean, when we first got there and that train ride to the village of Lacarno - that train ride, I think it was just over an hour or maybe even two - it was just so gorgeous. Lakes and waterfalls and all these cute villages, towns you're going through.

K: Driving down the Autobahn in Germany was pretty bad ass too.

Going into the race...you see all these couples over the years who are really dysfunctional and come off looking bad. Obviously, you guys were very functional, but going into the race did you have that worry that you might come off looking bad later on down the line?

A: In the back of your head you're always wondering...even though we were so comfortable with each other and we knew each other so well, in the back of your head you're going to worry that you're going to argue, or you're going to get into a disagreement about something, so we were always worried something could come up, but we were pretty pleased with ourselves with how we handled those situations.

K: We were already spending so much time together beforehand, every day we're kind of together, so we weren't really worried we'd get sick of each other because that's just not the type of people we are. I'm not the kind of guy that has meltdowns and cries and that kind of stuff. We went into it with the thought that we were going to try and keep our composure, have fun and enjoy the experience.

One last question: What do you guys have cooked up for the future?

A: I still have just less than a year left of school. We came back, Kris is still trying to find a job in this economy since he just graduated. He's trying to look for work and I'm trying to finish school and until that happens, we're kind of waiting to get engaged or anything like that until after I graduate. We know we're going to be together forever...it's just a matter of time and waiting until the time's right.

Amanda Blackledge and Kris Klicka are probably not the biggest fans of The Amazing Race's new "Blind U-Turn." After establishing themselves as one of the more threatening teams in the competition with their strong performances in the challenges, Amanda, a 23-year-old student, and Kris a 24-year-old sales representative, both of whom reside in San Diego, CA, fell victim to the first U-Turn of The Amazing Race's fourteenth season and were slowed just enough to become the fourth team to be eliminated from the CBS reality travel series during Sunday's broadcast.

On Monday, Amanda and Kris spoke to Reality TV World about what delayed them in Moscow enough to miss their initial flight to Siberia, Why they both didn't suspect that Margie and Luke Adams had been the ones who U-Turn'd them at all, and which show Kris thought he was being asked to participate in -- and flat out rejected -- before learning that he was being offered a spot on The Amazing Race.

Reality TV World: You both seemed pretty certain that, save for a non-elimination leg, you were going home, is that accurate?

Amanda: Yeah, well we knew we were the last [team] left in the village, we knew we were in last place when we were finishing that wood stack pile. However we were hoping and praying that it was a non-elimination. We did not know if it was or not, and to be honest we really kinda thought it was going to be a non-elimination leg just because there had already been a few episodes and they hadn't had one yet. So we kinda thought they were due.

Plus with the U-Turn, we figured it would make sense for them to do a non-elimination with that kind of thing thrown into the game. So that's why when we came in and talk to [The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan] we expected to be last but we were kinda still waiting for him to say "You're eliminated" until we believed it because we thought it was gonna be a non-elimination.

Kris: Yeah we were hoping, we were really hoping it was going to be a non-elimination. But it wasn't.

Reality TV World: Do you know how far behind [Mark and Michael Munoz] you finished?

Kris: Like 10 minutes.

Amanda: Yeah, the production said 10 minutes.

Kris: So if we hadn't gotten U-Turn'd we woulda still been in it, which is the big bummer about it. It sucked that we had to get out of the race because it was out of our hands [and was] just kinda how the cards fell, which sucks. We really wanted to be in the race because we were doing really well.

Reality TV World: The U-Turn obviously didn't help at all, but you guys had already gone from starting the leg in second place to dropping all the way to last place before you got U-Turn'd. What happened to you in that leg, was it just an off-leg for you?

Amanda: When we arrived at the wood pile...

Kris: (Interrupting) Well the flights...

Amanda: Yeah, well first of all we missed the flights. In Russia apparently it takes three hours to go through customs and we weren't expecting that. We had an hour-and-a-half gap to go through customs and we thought that would be plenty of time, and it wasn't. However as you noticed we weren't the only team to make that mistake. Everyone except for three teams missed the flight. So that was the first thing that put us behind.

Kris: When we were in Transylvania we were at the airport and there was tons of different flights to choose from, and it was kinda our job to pick and choose which flight we wanted, and we decided to connect through Frankfurt because we thought it was kind of a busier airport. We thought we'd get through it a lot quicker and not get held up, but it turns out that we didn't time the timing in Russia right, so it put us in the back of the pack.

Reality TV World: Were either one of you expecting that you would be one of the first teams targeted with a U-Turn when the other teams got a chance to use one?

Amanda: I definitely did. I actually said it on the camera but they didn't show it, but as soon as we heard that there was a U-Turn in this leg I knew immediately it was gonna be us [because] we were doing so well. I mean, we were one of the teams that, in the first leg we went from fifth [place] to third [place] to second [place] and we were progressively getting closer and closer to first [place]. We were blowing everyone out with all the challenges, so we knew we were a threat to everyone, so I expected it.

Kris: And the teams had been commenting about how strong we were and stuff too, so we knew that they viewed us as a big threat.

Reality TV World: When did you find out that Margie and Luke were actually the ones that U-Turn'd you?

Kris: We actually didn't find out until after we got to sequester and the following team arrived. They came and told us and we were just shocked. I mean, we had no clue it was going to be them.

Amanda: Yeah, something they actually didn't show on the show was that when we were in Romania [for the Pit Stop] the cast went out to lunch one day and [we] were split up into two tables, and on out walk back to our hotel Margie and Luke were walking with Kris and I, and she came up to us and said "I just wanted to let you guys know that at out table we were talking about the U-Turn, and every single person and team at our table, including us, said we'd never use it, and [Jennifer Hoffman and LaKisha Hoffman] said they would and that you'd be stupid not to."

She went out of her way to tell us that and this was the day before it happened. So immediately when we saw we had been U-Turn'd we automatically assumed it was Jen and Kisha based off of what Margie told us the day before. So when we found out it was Margie and Luke we really just felt deceived.

Like, why did you need to go out of your way to make up a story that was absolutely not true? Jen and Kisha ended up telling us that they never said anything like that at all. So the fact that she basically made up a story, it blew me away, why did you need to do that. And we were stupid for believing her.

Kris: Yeah, definitely a low blow though.

Reality TV World: Amanda, you also said it could be [Christie Volkmer] and [Jodi Wincheski] and called them "untrustworthy." Could you explain that comment a little more?

Amanda: Yeah, that was another thing definitely my biggest regret was believing what I heard because [along] with the Margie thing was the blondes, and what happened with them was... That was in the first leg of the race we were on a train, and I forgot who it was -- I don't wanna say the wrong person -- but some team came up to Jennifer and Preston and Kris and I and said "Just to let you know, we heard that the blondes are trying to not work with anyone and they're trying to work alone. They're untrustworthy, like watch out for them, be careful they're gonna be deceitful.

So from Day 1 we've heard that and we had that in the back of our minds, so at the U-Turn we're thinking "Well the blondes finished before everyone else, they had a very good opportunity to U-Turn someone. It coulda been them." So that's where I was basing that from, I shouldn't have.

Reality TV World: You also said that the other racers were "conniving people" and said that you had been nice to everyone. Obviously you never got the opportunity, but had you guys not planned to ever use either of the competition's two U-turns if you got the chance?

Kris: Well our outlook on it was we wanted to win the game fair-and-square, we didn't wanna feel like we cut any corners to kinda put us in the front. We wanted to win because we deserve to win rather than cheating people and stuff.

Amanda: Actually in an extra video clipping online from the episode when we were in Austria, we're on the mat talking about it and we even said we're only gonna use it if it's the last U-Turn available and we know someone could turn and give it back to us. We would only use it if we were in [next-to-]last place and needed it.

Luke and Margie, they were in the very front and they knew that we were hours behind them in a flight that was way behind them. So they knew they didn't need to do it, so that's another thing that kinda bothered us because it's like they absolutely didn't have to, they wasted it, so it was just unnecessary in our opinion.

Reality TV World: You said that the delay on the flight was caused by customs?

Amanda: Yes.

Kris: Yeah, in Russia.

Reality TV World: Did you even come close to making the connecting flight out of Moscow?

Kris: Well we were sitting in this little waiting room for hours on end just looking at our clocks, because we were there an hour-and-a-half before our flight was supposed to leave so we thought we were gonna be okay. It just ended up taking a really long time. And we ended up seeing all the other teams there and we were all bummed out, we were like "Oh gosh, this sucks we kinda got screwed."

Reality TV World: How far behind that first 5:40AM arrival flight was the one that you and the other four teams ended up flying on?

Kris: It was about four hours difference.

Amanda: Yeah, three or four hours difference. We knew that the three teams would be the first ones were in good shape.

Kris: Except for Mike and Mark, who I think were still at the wood shutters thing at some point when we got there. They were there a long time.

Reality TV World: Was anyone else on the same flight with you two when you got stuck [in Moscow] or was it just [your team] on that flight?

Amanda: Everyone who didn't make the first one, other than those first three teams, everyone else was on the same flight. Three teams on one, and then everyone else on another one three or four hours later.

Reality TV World: About how long did it take you to finish the "Stack" firewood challenge the second time around?

Amanda: When we went back a second time it probably us 10-15 minutes, but what you don't see is that the distance between the shutters challenge and where the U-Turn mat was and the wood stack.

They're all about a 10 minute walk apart, so once we finished the shutters it took us a while to walk back, then we found out we were U-Turn'd and had to walk another 10 minutes back to the wood pile and then finish it and it's another 10 minutes back to the cab.

So it wasn't necessarily just the tasks that took us a long time but going back and fourth between the challenges.

Reality TV World: What about the Roadblock, did you struggle with the puzzle after the sled ride like many of the other teams did?

Kris: I actually got it on the second try, I had no clue what it was but I was kinda thinking of words in my head that, with those letters, sounded Russian. I ended up putting the right one there the second time around and we got outta there really quick.

Reality TV World: Amanda, Jaime and Cara were shown criticizing your lack of work during your first stacking challenge, how did you react to that?

Amanda: Well, I was bothered by it. I mean, it was unnecessary for them to be looking over at us and worrying about what other teams were doing. I mean why should they care?

It was just kinda stupid, especially because Kris and I had a tactic going. I definitely was helping him stack the wood as fast as I could but it got to the point where I couldn't reach the top. And, as you can tell, being tall in this challenge is an advantage.

Also, we realized that you need to get specifically shaped pieces of wood to fit perfectly otherwise it wouldn't work. So it was faster and made more sense for Kris and I for me to pick out the certain pieces of wood and hand them to him and then he could just place them on top because he was taller. So it just made sense, and it worked out better for us. So they said I wasn't doing anything but I definitely was.

Kris: She was kick ass, for sure.

Reality TV World: Kind of going off of that, what teams did you get along the best and The worst with?

Kris: I think the team that we got along the best with was [Mel and Mike White], we spent a lot of time with them traveling and whatnot and they're just really down to earth cool people.

Amanda: Good guys.

Kris: Really good people, yeah. (Pauses) And [Preston McCamy] and [Jennifer Hopka] too were also [friendly], for the first leg. Yeah, we became friends with them as well.

Reality TV World: Any worst relationship?

Amanda: Well, I mean, right away after this leg we immediately heard about what the redheads were saying about us, so that kind of was a negative thing. They actually told us afterwards that they had said that. Or, sort of, they didn't tell us the extent they said it. But you're kinda prepared for that. But I mean that was a low blow.

Kris: Our whole cast though, we all still keep in touch with each other, there's definitely no animosity to anybody.

Reality TV World: What was your favorite experience on The Amazing Race?

Amanda: Oh that's such a hard question. I mean for Kris, he definitely loved the bungee jump, that was a big thing for him. But it was really just the experience as a whole for us. Just getting to do the whole thing was just amazing

Reality TV World: Based on your closing words, it sounded like The Amazing Race only made your relationship stronger. Whatâ€™s the current status of your relationship now? Is there any engagement down the road?

Amanda: Well I'm still in school for almost another year and Kris graduated from San Diego State and still hasn't found work. So right now we're not in any financial place...

Kris: ... (Continuing) To get the ring and all that stuff.

Amanda: It'll definitely happen eventually, it's just a matter of time and we wanna wait until I graduate and he needs a job

Kris: Yeah, hopefully by then the ball will be rolling and we'll be able to go.

Reality TV World: Oh, and actually I forgot to ask, was there any least favorite experience on the show?

Kris: You know, we weren't having that great a time in Siberia.

Amanda: No, Siberia was rough.

Kris: It was just kinda like one bad thing happening after another. By the end of it you're just like "Gosh this really sucks."

Reality TV World: Is there anything that you wanted to make it onto the show that was edited out?

Amanda: Well, you know, in the first episode it doesn't show it at all, but when Kris is getting strapped in to do his bungee jump I wasn't able to talk to him at that point and Mel came up and asked me if he could borrow 20 Swiss Francs from Jennifer and Preston and me and Kris.

I was with Jennifer, we couldn't talk to the guys because they were busy, so we had to make the decision on her own, and we both said we would. And then I gave him 20 Swiss Francs and Jennifer didn't have any smaller bills, she only had larger bills so they couldn't give them money.

So Kris and I were the only team to lend another team money, and they didn't even show it, which I was shocked. I mean in the first episode there's so much going on that it was hard to probably fit it in. But it was funny because afterwards when Kris did the bungee I told him and he actually got mad at me for lending money. So I was surprised they didn't show it.

Kris: I wish they showed more of the cheese hills. Me and Preston were high-fiving each other. We rocked out that challenge, we ended up getting there after the teams and then we passed all of them.

Amanda: Yeah, it wasn't really clear how many teams Kris and I really passed on that hill. We showed up [and] we were like the third to last team to show up and we still came in fifth that day,

Kris: We breezed through everybody, so that was the one thing I wish they woulda shown because it woulda shown how strong you were, even in that first episode. They didn't really show a whole lot of us in that first episode.

Reality TV World: It seemed like Margie and Luke really inspired a bunch of people out there with their communication skills and hard work. Obviously putting the U-Turn aside, could you both talk about what you thought about them a little?

Amanda: Yeah. From the get-go the fact that it's the first deaf contestant, I mean that's just immediately, already they're gonna have a huge fan base.

Kris: Yeah I mean it's definitely cool to see what they've got going on. They've got the mother and son bond, so that definitely helps them out. They were a good team, they were a strong team on the Race.

Before we knew that the had U-Turned us we actually had thought that they were kinda one of our friends on the Race because we had spent a plane flight on the way to Romania with them, which was hours upon hours of just kinda sitting around BS'ing with each other, with them and Mel and Mike. So we really liked them a lot and we were kinda rooting for them too when they were doing well and stuff we were really encouraging and really cheering them on like "Yeah, good job guys," because it's a cool thing to see.

Reality TV World: Did you guys begin rooting for any particular team to win once you got eliminated?

Amanda: Yeah, we definitely naturally went with Mike and Mel, just because from Leg 1 it was us, Mike and Mel and Jennifer and Preston. We were the first ones to get in that shuttle in the airport from Day 1 and it was just an immediate click. We all got along really great.

And another thing about Mel and Mike is that they're really good people and they were in it for the same reasons that Kris and I were in it. I mean, everyone's in it to win it ideally, but we weren't in there to bash or put down other teams or anything in order to win.

We wanted to win based on the fact that we earned it and we were good, and they're the same way. And they were in it for the adventure and the bonding experience between each other, and that's exactly how Kris and I felt as well.

Kris: And they're funny as hell.

Amanda: They were so funny, they were so sweet, so we definitely began rooting for them.

Reality TV World: How'd you guys end up on the show -- whose idea was it? Had you applied before?

Kris: We were actually downtown at a club in San Diego for a friend's birthday one night and I was walking through to go to the bathroom and a lady that works for CBS approached me. And it was really loud in there and I had had a few cocktails so I didn't really understand what she said, I thought she asked me if I wanted to be on The Real World and I kinda turned around and told her to kinda eff off and I walked away.

Amanda ended up walking up at the same time and she said "Oh is that your boyfriend?" or something like that and she was like "Yeah I just asked him if he wanted to be on The Amazing Race and he told me to screw off and walked away," and so that right there kinda made her like "Gosh, they don't really care, I kinda wanna see what happens with these guys.

So I followed up with her and I heard that it was The Amazing Race and I was like "Oh, my gosh! I didn't know that!" I thought she was saying The Real World, which is something I never wanna do.

Anyway, long story short we went up to LA from there and we made it. We kinda got lucky.

Amanda: Yeah, we were actually the only team recruited. Everyone else just sent in videos, so that was kinda cool.